Novak Djokovic Admits to Having ‘Doubt’ About Winning Grand Slam Matches Against Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz
Novak Djokovic met Carlos Alcaraz thrice and Jannik Sinner once this season, losing all.
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Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner (Image via X/AllAboutHQ, Jannik Sinner HQ)
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At this stage of his career, Novak Djokovic is hoping nothing but to keep prolonging his stay on the court. Despite achieving almost everything there is to achieve, he doesn’t want to hang up his racket and even wants to feature in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
But with each passing year, the chances of his breaking his own Grand Slam record look slim. He is still beating the youngsters despite being 38 years of age.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion, however, is struggling whenever he is up against Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, both of whom have split the last eight Majors between them. This year, Sinner became the reason behind his French Open and Wimbledon exit, while Alcaraz knocked him out at the US Open. Djokovic, during his interview with Piers Morgan, has admitted that he has doubts about winning a Grand Slam match against the World No.1 and World No.2.
I’m aware that [comparing] my best level now and their best level now, they’re better. That’s the reality… I have always believed in things that are almost impossible to achieve. I do have doubts that I can win Slams against these two guys. But when I enter the court, I don’t care who’s across the net. I always believe I’m better and I deserve to win, and I’m going to do everything I can to win.
The four-time Grand Slam champion holds a 6-4 head-to-head lead over Djokovic, also winning their last five encounters. Against the six-time Grand Slam champion, the Serb holds a 5-4 head-to-head edge.
Sinner and Djokovic are in Turin for the ATP Finals, which Djokovic skipped, for the second consecutive time. Djokovic, a record seven-time ATP Finals champion, last lifted the title by defeating Sinner in 2023. He was last seen in action at the Hellenic Championship, where he beat Lorenzo Musetti to win his second title of the season, after having won the Geneva Open earlier.
Jim Courier thinks Jack Draper and Ben Shelton can challenge the dominance of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz
Since 2024, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have played 33 finals, winning 25 titles. Only a handful of players were able to defeat them. But former ATP pro Jim Courier thinks Jack Draper and Ben Shelton can break their dominance next year.
And who’s going to get better is Jack Draper, who played so well to win Indian Wells and has had bad injury problems; he’s been sitting out for much of the second half of the season. Is he going to be able to come out and be a force to be reckoned with next year? Maybe we’ll see. Is Shelton, the guy who won the best of the rest tournament in Canada, is he going to be the one to step through? We don’t know, we might not.
Jim Courier said on Tennis Channel
In the ongoing ATP Finals, while Alcaraz won his first two round-robin matches against Taylor Fritz and Alex de Minaur, Sinner defeated Felix Auger-Aliassime to schedule his second match against two-time ATP Finals champion Alexander Zverev. Sinner, also the defending champion, holds a 5-4 head-to-head record over Sascha and defeated him in their last four encounters.
Alcaraz will next be locking horns with Lorenzo Musetti, against whom he holds a 6-1 head-to-head record. The Spaniard has never progressed beyond the semifinals, losing in the last four of the 2023 season to eventual champion Novak Djokovic. Alcaraz and Sinner are chasing their ninth and sixth title of the season, respectively, and the winner will end the season as the year-end No.1.
Also read: Andy Murray Reveals the Two Major Regrets he Now has About his Career
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